]]>http://thejosevilson.com/short-notes-john-steinbeck-giving-away-his-secrets/feed/011442A Quick Bit on Nancy Cantor and The Relationship Between Inclusion and Standardshttp://thejosevilson.com/a-quick-bit-on-nancy-cantor-and-the-relationship-between-inclusion-and-standards/
http://thejosevilson.com/a-quick-bit-on-nancy-cantor-and-the-relationship-between-inclusion-and-standards/#commentsTue, 04 Oct 2011 02:05:46 +0000http://thejosevilson.com/?p=3834First, read this article. Check this excerpt: Since she took over at the university seven years ago, the institution has spent tens of millions of dollars—and attracted much more—to revitalize this sagging Rust Belt city. It has helped refurbish parks, taken over an abandoned building where drug dealers once grew ...

Since she took over at the university seven years ago, the institution has spent tens of millions of dollars—and attracted much more—to revitalize this sagging Rust Belt city. It has helped refurbish parks, taken over an abandoned building where drug dealers once grew marijuana, and turned an old furniture warehouse into a new home for academic programs in art, drama, and fashion design. The university is encouraging professors to focus their research on the city, while giving free tuition to local high-school graduates.

Ms. Cantor talks about the institution as a “public good,” not an ivory tower. But some professors here say she has spent too little time and money on what goes on inside the university’s classrooms, laboratories, and libraries where traditional education and scholarship take place. Before she came, they say, Syracuse was on the way to becoming a more selective university that competed with some of the nation’s best private urban institutions. Now, the chancellor seems most intent on providing opportunities—both for this struggling city and for disadvantaged students. As a result, Syracuse is fading on the national stage, falling in the U.S. News & World Report rankings of national universities and dropping out—before it could be forced out—of the prestigious Association of American Universities, whose members are considered the nation’s top research institutions.

After reading the article, I thought: “So, let me get this straight. Syracuse University recruits from the same SAT scores, recruit from the same top of the class, builds more infrastructure, develops an amazing experiential relationship with the surrounding city, and doubles the percent of students of color, and the standards are somehow lowered? I know I’m a bit biased, but Nancy Cantor has done amazing work to ensure that Syracuse as an institution has lots more integrity in how it achieves high standards and diversity. Yes, I can highlight the -ahem- difficulties with claiming that caring more about the surrounding urban areas and issues of inclusion lead to a decrease in the academic quality of the institution, but I’d rather just stand behind those who continue to empower those who believe in quality higher education for all.”

]]>http://thejosevilson.com/a-quick-bit-on-nancy-cantor-and-the-relationship-between-inclusion-and-standards/feed/23834Gov. Jan Brewer Has A Mind Of Her Own … Kindahttp://thejosevilson.com/gov-jan-brewer-has-a-mind-of-her-own-kinda/
http://thejosevilson.com/gov-jan-brewer-has-a-mind-of-her-own-kinda/#respondTue, 19 Apr 2011 03:22:33 +0000http://thejosevilson.com/?p=3504Let’s ignore for a second that Arizona has been the hot bed for ultra-conservative rogue policy for the last few years, and still hasn’t done a thing about those undocumented immigrants imprisoned in what networks would have us believe are cushy, metallic lounges. Gov. Jan Brewer, whose administration has been ...

Let’s ignore for a second that Arizona has been the hot bed for ultra-conservative rogue policy for the last few years, and still hasn’t done a thing about those undocumented immigrants imprisoned in what networks would have us believe are cushy, metallic lounges. Gov. Jan Brewer, whose administration has been lauded for her right-wing activist stance against the wishes of the federal government, did two things today towards providing evidence to the rest of us that she’s not completely insane.

First, she vetoed a bill that would ensure that any presidential candidate would have to show their birth certificate in order to have their names submitted on the state’s ballot, also dubbed the “birther bill.” I already had a hard time with the word “birther” because it assumes that anyone who doesn’t have a birth certificate actually decided not to be born, but reluctantly did so because their mom needed space. I’m also troubled by the idea that, in a country considering a man whose personal economy hasn’t grown much in the last couple of decades and a woman who has the gaze of highway-crossing deer in a dimly-lit highway, a man legitimately born in this country and whose mother is also a United States citizen still has questions surrounding his own birth.

Secondly, she vetoed a bill that would allow guns on parts of college campuses. She said it’s because, legally, it’s sloppily written. I say because, logically, it’s sloppy thought-out. We can argue for days about the merits of having a gun on you, because I’ve had those discussions with myself. But we can’t argue that a gun has any place in any place of learning. I haven’t been to one college campus that had enough security to ensure that a random domestic terrorist can’t shoot up a public gathering that they don’t agree with. Like Jared Lee Loughner, for example. Plus, I’m sure that those college frat parties become less popular knowing that the guy with the funnel in one hand might brandish a semi-automatic in the other.

I have some of these discussions with my conservative friends and respect their right to their opinions. Some of us in this country, however, haven’t set guidelines for what we consider extreme policy. De-legitimizing a human being for the color of their skin or their non-standard name is inappropriate. So is grabbing iron irresponsibly in a place of learning. I’m happy for Jan that common sense kept her from making these bills law. Now, if only we could do something about her approval of the immigration bill, the ban on ethnic studies bill, budget cuts on transplants …

Jose, who is taking a break from education this week, because he’s taking a break from education this week …

]]>http://thejosevilson.com/gov-jan-brewer-has-a-mind-of-her-own-kinda/feed/03504A Lesson on Blackness from The Fab Five (Jalen x Jimmy x Chris x Ray x Juwan)http://thejosevilson.com/a-lesson-on-blackness-from-the-fab-five-jalen-x-jimmy-x-chris-x-ray-x-juwan/
http://thejosevilson.com/a-lesson-on-blackness-from-the-fab-five-jalen-x-jimmy-x-chris-x-ray-x-juwan/#commentsTue, 15 Mar 2011 01:33:40 +0000http://thejosevilson.com/?p=3427Last night, ESPN premiered the much-anticipated documentary “Fab Five” (the behind-the-scenes story of The Fab Five from University of Michigan’s early 90s days) as part of their 30 for 30 sports short docs. Most of my sport fan friends opted to watch this in lieu of sleeping the extra hour ...

Last night, ESPN premiered the much-anticipated documentary “Fab Five” (the behind-the-scenes story of The Fab Five from University of Michigan’s early 90s days) as part of their 30 for 30 sports short docs. Most of my sport fan friends opted to watch this in lieu of sleeping the extra hour we all missed out on. The story of these five boys who were quickly shoved into manhood reminded me of the fanaticism for college basketball my friends found back then, but it also called to mind the implicit separation some groups put on Black athletes with the rest of their communities.

Jalen Rose and Jimmy King’s segment about Duke University basketball (and their early visceral perceptions about Grant Hill) rung hard in my ear, like a timbre I heard before in my neighborhood. People from the hood never went for Grant Hill until he got to the Pistons, and even then felt funny. On the other hand, they cheered on the “niggas” because, while they didn’t play like those players, they empathized with their bravado and defiant attitudes. We loved the pros more than anything else, but seeing these kids with the new styles had a charm to it that made the rest of us feel like we could do it, too.

When I got to Syracuse University, I saw what the rest of the country saw for the previous half-century: the Black athlete on the college campus (and in general society) had a quixotic relationship with the rest of the student body. On one end, they’ve been recruited by the college to play their specific sport for a team they’ve assembled in exchange for room and board. Out of the many letters they may receive in the mail, they choose to play for that college, and it’s simultaneously seen as an honor and an entry into advancing that sport into a career. That’s what’s fed to us and Americans in this country have generally bought into this lane of thinking because it’s the easiest.

What the documentary did last night was force us to think about the uglier side of collegiate sports. The millions of dollars that the presidents of these universities, network and cable television stations, paraphernalia makers, and plenty of corporations make hand-over-fist on the sports played predominantly by Blacks and Latinos in this country highlights a huge issue we see whenever we think a traditional institution gets corrupted by its own greed. The ratio of monies these entities make individually over these athletes is nowhere close to fair to the athletes, including the “compensation” of a back-up career. Many of these athletes come from low income neighborhoods where scrapping and hustling for the next dollar is a skill we learn at an early age.

Thus, players even getting a modicum of a stipend for their services just to make through to the next should be standard for colleges, not a judgment of virtues.

Compound that with the inevitability of the way some Black intellectuals ostracize the Black athlete for the stereotypes about them: their lack of study habits, their propensity for white women (a whole ‘nother issue that deserves its own blog post), their apathy towards social consciousness, and we have a recipe for jealousy, miscommunication, and oftentimes, battles that need not be. This Black “nation within a nation,” as WEB DuBois would put it, increases the false dichotomy Black intellectuals put on Black athletes and is symptomatic of the way some powerful men choose to exclude full representations of Black people in this country.

While these factions fight against each other, Bill Walton and Dick Vitale, the well-to-do opportunists they are, decided that the Fab Five played far too rough (even when they played the game with unselfish strategy), had too much bravado (even when Bill and Dick made money from commentating their games and expressing their opinions in an increasingly popular sport) and didn’t deserve to be in the league (even when they made the championship twice). The documentary did a few things effectively, but the first thing was shine a bright line on the shadows our current HD screens don’t allow us to see. I have respect for both of the commentators I mentioned, but, as with so many others, their version of morals always collides with the racial and economic realities of the sports they try to find relevance in.

With all these monies exchanging hands and the featured labor getting pennies on the dollar for their services living in collegiate squalor, the astute observer should make the connection to a post-modern slavery until they turn professional.

Yes, we ought to highlight more Black people who don’t do sports, or act, or sing, or rap, or any other form of entertainment for the masses. We should have more conversation around this idea of Black intellectual, too, because what some Black intellectuals emit isn’t always intelligent, poignant, or even useful. When we talk about the Black athlete, we should consider the circumstances under which he or she came to be where they are, just like any human being. We should check their makings against the industry they’ve chosen for their careers instead of against our own salaries.

The sports and entertainment business are absurd. but who creates the absurdity, and who decides what gets highlighted? Who decides what’s Black and what’s not? Jalen, Jimmy, Chris, Ray, and Juwan were young kids soaking up the lessons the world had to offer. Their kinship offered them a late-20th century taste of what it meant for their Blackness to be unbearable, too.

]]>http://thejosevilson.com/a-lesson-on-blackness-from-the-fab-five-jalen-x-jimmy-x-chris-x-ray-x-juwan/feed/33427Top 10 Reasons Graduation Rockshttp://thejosevilson.com/top-10-reasons-graduation-rocks/
http://thejosevilson.com/top-10-reasons-graduation-rocks/#commentsWed, 13 May 2009 02:24:52 +0000http://thejosevilson.com/blog/?p=1375I always look at the cover with a bit of lament, but with a swell of pride. Not because I consider myself that bear popping out of that monster’s mouth finally exiting an institution after proving yourself worthy of a degree in whatever you master. It’s more that the Syracuse ...

I always look at the cover with a bit of lament, but with a swell of pride. Not because I consider myself that bear popping out of that monster’s mouth finally exiting an institution after proving yourself worthy of a degree in whatever you master. It’s more that the Syracuse University experience I had was just the trampoline upon which I’d be launched into the real world. Let me explain.

My experience at SU had its ups and downs, as most people can attest to in their own right (unless they were up all the time, but I’ll leave that up to the greenery). This past weekend, one of my friends on Facebook reminded me that it’s now been a certain amount of years since I’ve graduated from SU, and all the following comments went something like, “Wow, I’m getting old.” I said, “Are you serious? That’s great!” Of course, no one understands the social anarchist, so I’m resigned to pointing out some of the obvious and not-so-obvious reasons why graduating from college is much better than actually being there:

1. I don’t have to wonder whether the food I’m having will be hot or cold because I made it myself.

2. When I think of buying something, I don’t have to wait until my parents’ money or financial aid kicks in.

3. I don’t have to put a tie or a sock outside the door for any particular reason.

4. When I was dating outside of SU, I didn’t have to worry about seeing all the woman’s past “histories” lined up against the wall at some house party I went to.

5. When I say hi to people I know, I usually get to have an extended conversation with them, and not necessarily see them 5 to 6 times on that day as we pass by the Quad.

6. Look Mom, I got my own .com.

7. Hmm, let me see, work study money or a salary with benefits? I think I’ll take the latter.

8. Drinks are tastier when you don’t have to worry whether you’re getting a ride from South to North Campus before the bus stops.

9. I have a BS, not just writing it on my next term paper.

10. The bills suck, you’re not as limber or healthy as you used to be, much less recklessness, and the forgiveness for your sins wears thin, but that’s all replaced with a venerable wisdom that exalts you from the unwise decisions you once made.

Also, you’re at least a good 14,000 more dollars away from actually paying off those loands. Really couldn’t say that in college, could you?

]]>http://thejosevilson.com/top-10-reasons-graduation-rocks/feed/41375Prepping For My Real Jobhttp://thejosevilson.com/prepping-for-my-real-job/
http://thejosevilson.com/prepping-for-my-real-job/#commentsWed, 11 Jun 2008 02:50:14 +0000http://thejosevilson.com/blog/?p=539Damian tagged me, and I must oblige. After all, I tagged almost everyone and their mother yesterday trying to get you all to help me with my most involved effort yet. Damian asked me which of my previous (and worst) jobs helped me prepare for the job I have currently ...

Damian tagged me, and I must oblige. After all, I tagged almost everyone and their mother yesterday trying to get you all to help me with my most involved effort yet. Damian asked me which of my previous (and worst) jobs helped me prepare for the job I have currently (please tell me you didn’t miss that boat). Let me preface this by saying that I’ve never had a bad job because each job I’ve ever taken either advanced my transparent agenda or helped me put food on the table or paid for college expenditures. Now that that’s out of the way …

I have to say, after working as a camp counselor, concession stand worker at a big movie theatre, student security on campus, and database work at an educational research firm, none quite prepared me for my job or helped me get into the mentality of working with kids quite like my position as the Education Chair of La LUCHA at Syracuse U.

OK, so that wasn’t the worst job, nor was it something I was “hired” to do, but voted in. Of course, some of the readers who already knew me from previous incarnations wouldn’t consider it a job either as I never got paid monetarily. OK, fair enough, but here’s why I was more than prepared for my work with children after helping to lead that organization:

1. I had to learn quite quickly to not take things too personally. I had a big habit of doing it because, really, I put my whole person into that organization. Unfortunately, some people don’t view it the same way nor do they see my vision for the org. It prospered, but not like I’d hoped.

2. Making real change happen takes a lot of personal sacrifice. On the one hand, I had a drive very few matched when it came to that org, and when I wanted a real change to happen, I worked as hard as possible to make that change happen, sacrificing a whole lot of time I could have spent doing a whole lot of nothing.

3. I must make personal time. On the other hand, I also had to take some time for myself, and often, I didn’t know when to step back and do that.

4. Constant feedback and reflection are a vital part of becoming the best. At first, I didn’t take constructive criticism or any other type for that matter too well, because I thought the organization at the time needed a vast change and I was the only one who could bring it. Then, I was asked to get humble. And quick. I reflected on where that criticism came from and what much of that negativity would mean for the legacy I was trying to leave behind. But it wasn’t about me. It was about the org. Once I came to that epiphany, I started to work quietly, adjusting my game plan for the great good.

5. Sometimes, the best reaction is to let the chips fall where they may. There’d be days when certain people would bring a lot of negativity in my direction, trying to force me to react or fire back in a way that’s “unbecoming” of a leader. Most of it was immature, and they tried to intimidate me to step down. I wouldn’t. Rather than respond, I let everything pass, because I knew there’d be a moment when karma would inevitably take care of everything, which sure enough, it did.

6. Dealing with administration takes time, patience, and professionalism. No matter how unprofessional the professionals are, and no matter how “in the right” you are, there’s a time and place for every protest, question, or even comment. Professionalism will more often than not help your case.

7. Never let a moment in which you can teach someone go to waste. Never.